Kenya Ministry of Health launches Vision Project to reach 1.27M people
The CBM Vision Impact Scale-Up Project Phase Two, launched in Mombasa, will expand screening, referral, treatment and follow-up services in Mombasa, Nakuru and Kakamega counties.
KENYA—The Ministry of Health is expanding eye, ear and hearing services in an effort to improve access to essential care and advance Universal Health Coverage.
About 200,000 Kenyans are blind, while 1.5 million live with significant visual impairment.
An estimated 9.6 million people have uncorrected refractive errors, and up to 80 percent of visual impairment is preventable or treatable.
Kenya also recorded 837,416 cases of ear disease in 2022, including 264,789 cases among children under five.
The CBM Vision Impact Scale-Up Project Phase Two, launched in Mombasa, will expand screening, referral, treatment and follow-up services in Mombasa, Nakuru and Kakamega counties.
Funded by CBM and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the project aims to reach more than 1.27 million people through communities, schools and health facilities.
The project will also strengthen the health workforce, infrastructure, digital patient tracking and county health systems.
It complements The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Mombasa Eye Health Project, which is also expanding access to eye care in the county.
Strengthening primary and community care
Speaking during the launch, Director of Curative and Nursing Services Dr Andrew Toro said the initiatives would improve the link between screening and access to treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up care.
He said the Ministry is establishing 315 Primary Care Networks across the 47 counties to improve referral pathways between communities, primary healthcare facilities and specialised services.
The Ministry is also finalising Kenya’s first National Healthcare Referral Policy.
In addition, 107,831 Community Health Promoters have been equipped and digitized to support health education, early detection and referrals at household level.
Digital tools, including PEEK Vision, will support patient tracking from screening through treatment and post-treatment follow-up.
The Ministry is also integrating routine screening into school health services to promote earlier detection among children and improve access to care.
Dr Toro urged county governments to allocate resources for eye, ear and hearing care commodities, equipment maintenance and workforce requirements through county development plans and annual budgets.
Call for integrated services
CBM Director for Inclusive Health Dr Babar Qureshi, who was the Chief Guest, called for stronger delivery of eye, ear and hearing services across primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care.
Representatives from CBM, The Fred Hollows Foundation, the Ministry of Education, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Kenya Institute of Special Education, the Council of Governors, county governments, development and implementing partners, and healthcare facilities attended the launch.
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